Fluorescence detecting apparatus

Abstract

When a fluorescence image is to be displayed, a region of interest in a living body is irradiated with excitation light so that the fluorescence emitted therefrom is detected by a cold CCD camera via image fibers. A color mosaic filter is fixed on the detection surface of the cold CCD camera so that the fluorescence is separated into three fluorescence components corresponding to red, green and blue wavelength ranges before being detected. The signal intensity corresponding to the red wavelength range is divided by the total signal intensity which is the sum of the signal intensities corresponding to the red, green and blue wavelength ranges. A visual image displayed on the monitor is based on thus divided signal intensity. As it is quite rare that the total signal intensity becomes zero, occurrence of an operation error due to division by the value of zero can be restrained.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A fluorescence detecting apparatus, comprising: 
       i) an excitation light irradiating means for irradiating excitation light to a region of interest in a living body to which a fluorescent diagnosis drug, that is capable of producing fluorescence when excited with said excitation light has been administered, said excitation light covering wavelengths falling within an excitation wavelength range for said fluorescent diagnosis drug and an intrinsic dye in the living body, said intrinsic dye being capable of producing fluorescence when excited with the excitation light,  
       ii) a fluorescence detecting means for detecting first and second fluorescence components,  
       said first fluorescence component being either one of:  
       a) an entire fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a wavelength range which contains: a wavelength range of extrinsic fluorescence produced by said fluorescent diagnosis drug in said region of interest in the living body, and a wavelength range of intrinsic fluorescence produced by said intrinsic dye in said region of interest in the living body, and  
       b) a fluorescence sum component which is the sum of:  
       a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the wavelength range of the extrinsic fluorescence produced by said fluorescent diagnosis drug in said region of interest in the living body, and a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorescence produced by said intrinsic dye in the living body, and  
       said second fluorescence component being either one of:  
       a) a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the wavelength range of the extrinsic fluorescence, and  
       b) a fluorescence difference component which is the difference between: a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the wavelength range of the extrinsic fluorescence, and a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorescence, and  
       iii) a division means for carrying out a division operation between the first fluorescence component and the second fluorescence component, wherein  
       the fluorescence detecting means comprises:  
       a color mosaic filter for separating the fluorescence emitted from the region of interest into the first fluorescence component and the second fluorescence component, and  
       a detecting means for detecting the first and second fluorescence components in a two-dimensional manner, and wherein  
       the color mosaic filter is fixed on a fluorescence detecting surface of the detecting means.  
     
     
       2. A fluorescence detecting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the color mosaic filter includes filter elements of primary colors. 
     
     
       3. A fluorescence detecting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the color mosaic filter includes filter elements of complementary colors. 
     
     
       4. A fluorescence detecting apparatus, comprising: 
       i) an excitation light irradiating means for irradiating excitation light to a region of interest in a living body, said excitation light covering wavelengths falling within an excitation wavelength range for an intrinsic dye in the living body, said intrinsic dye being capable of producing fluorescence when excited with the excitation light,  
       ii) a fluorescence detecting means for detecting first and second fluorescence components,  
       said first fluorescence component being either one of:  
       a) an entire intrinsic fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a visible wavelength range, which contains a comparatively short wavelength range and a comparatively long wavelength range among a wavelength range of intrinsic fluorescence produced by said intrinsic dye in said region of interest in the living body, and  
       b) a fluorescence sum component which is the sum of: a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the comparatively short wavelength range among the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorescence produced by said intrinsic dye in said region of interest in the living body, and a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the comparatively long wavelength range among the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorescence, and  
       said second fluorescence component being either one of:  
       a) a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the comparatively long wavelength range among the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorescence, and  
       b) a fluorescence difference component, which is the difference between: a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the comparatively short wavelength range among the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorescence, and a fluorescence component covering wavelengths falling within a part of the comparatively long wavelength range among the wavelength range of the intrinsic fluorescence, and  
       iii) a division means for carrying out a division operation between the first fluorescence component and the second fluorescence component, wherein  
       the fluorescence detecting means comprises:  
       a color mosaic filter for separating the fluorescence emitted from the region of interest into the first fluorescence component and the second fluorescence component, and  
       a detecting means for detecting the first and second fluorescence components in a two-dimensional manner, and wherein  
       the color mosaic filter is fixed on a fluorescence detecting surface of the detecting means.  
     
     
       5. A fluorescence detecting apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the color mosaic filter includes filter elements of primary colors. 
     
     
       6. A fluorescence detecting apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the color mosaic filter includes filter elements of complementary colors. 
     
     
       7. A fluorescence detecting apparatus, comprising: 
       i) an excitation light irradiating means for irradiating excitation light to a region of interest in a living body,  
       ii) a fluorescence detecting means for detecting at least two fluorescence components of desired wavelength ranges extracted from fluorescence emitted from the region of interest irradiated with the excitation light, and  
       iii) a signal processing means for processing in a predetermined manner signals representing said at least two fluorescence components detected by the fluorescence detecting means, wherein  
       the fluorescence detecting means comprises:  
       a color mosaic filter for separating the fluorescence emitted from the region of interest into said at least two fluorescence components and  
       a detecting means for detecting said at least two fluorescence components in a two-dimensional manner, and wherein  
       the color mosaic filter is fixed on a fluorescence detecting surface of the detecting means.  
     
     
       8. A fluorescence detecting apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the color mosaic filter includes filter elements of primary colors. 
     
     
       9. A fluorescence detecting apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the color mosaic filter includes filter elements of complementary colors.